After the little interlude between the two of them earlier, they once again turned their attention back to the Test of Courage.
Tanuki statues could be seen everywhere, torii gates stood scattered and half-hidden among the trees, and abandoned shrines lay concealed deep within the forest... Like gently flowing streams, they told legends carried down through the passage of time. This was the source of Chinju Forest's mysterious beauty.
There were also many signboards along the roadside pointing out the proper directions, just as the shrine maiden had said.
"Come to think of it, around ten or so years ago, one of our retainers once told me a story."
As they walked, Ayaka beside her looked into the deep, shadowed forest and began speaking to her in that delicate voice of hers...
"...What kind of story?"
She glanced at Ayaka and asked curiously.
"They say there was once a wandering samurai who crossed through the forest at night. Suddenly, he noticed the familiar scenery around him beginning to grow strange."
It had to be said that Ayaka's voice was genuinely well suited for storytelling, especially in an atmosphere like this... Combined with her gentle, flowing cadence, it made the Shogun listen carefully without even realizing it. She did not find it noisy, much less annoying.
"Afterward, he stopped walking and discovered that he seemed to have entered another world. Strange things that were not quite human all turned to stare at him at once..."
Ayaka deliberately maintained a mysterious tone... even lowering her voice for the final few words.
"...Like those trees ahead?"
She gestured toward the twisted tree trunks in front of them, which truly did resemble monsters.
"Mm... I originally wanted to deepen the atmosphere a little, but I didn't expect to overdo it."
Seeing them, Ayaka herself became slightly nervous instead... and instinctively moved a little closer to her side.
"Are you scared?"
Feeling the faint contact of Ayaka's body, she could not help asking gently.
"...A little, but it's all right."
Ayaka admitted it frankly. If outsiders had been present, she would never have done so, but the Shogun was not an outsider. Sometimes revealing one's vulnerable side to the person one loved was also a way of deepening their bond.
"If you're afraid, stay behind me and hold on... I'll walk in front."
She suggested.
"Mm..."
Ayaka obediently moved behind her shoulder and gently took her hand. Their fair, slender fingers intertwined, and a sense of security immediately spread through her entire body.
"...///"
Ayaka opened her folding fan with her other hand to hide her faintly flushed face, then tightened her grip around the Shogun's hand once more. Perhaps this was the real reason she had come to participate in today's event.
Although the forest had looked rather dim from outside, once they entered, they could feel moonlight spilling through the canopy, illuminating the road ahead. Not to mention the glowing grass and fireflies scattered all around. If anything, it was actually rather beautiful.
The two of them walked one behind the other along the forest path...
"Shogun-sama..."
Ayaka, still holding her hand from behind, softly called out to her.
"Mm?"
She turned her head slightly to look at the girl walking close behind her.
"There seems to be something moving up ahead... over there..."
Ayaka carefully pointed toward the bushes ahead. She could not tell whether it was merely her imagination, but the branches and leaves seemed to have shifted.
It was directly along the path they had to take, meaning they would inevitably pass it... She had been about to part the bushes when, in the next instant—
Pop! Pop! Pop! ×N
A burst of dazzling light suddenly erupted, accompanied by several abrupt firecracker blasts.
"—! So bright..."
Ayaka seemed to have been startled. Her body trembled, and she instinctively pressed her face against the Shogun's shoulder with a cry of surprise...
Only after the light and noise completely faded did the two of them see the scraps scattered on the ground.
"Are these... fireworks?"
Ayaka crouched down and picked up a fragment of firework paper.
"Probably some kind of trap..."
She also picked up a piece and examined it.
"Haa..."
Ayaka relaxed slightly.
"Do you need a moment?"
She crouched beside the girl and asked gently.
"It's all right... If we stop here, the others might catch up to us."
Ayaka shook her head, indicating that she did not need one.
"Mm..."
The Shogun stood back up and led her onward again. Before long, they spotted the first treasure chest, placed near the edge of some bushes with a wooden sign marked with an X stuck above it.
"Is that it?"
Sharp-eyed Ayaka spotted it first and pointed it out.
"...Let's take a look."
But she did not think it was really the Dango Milk. After all, that would be far too easy to find.
The two walked up to the chest, and she reached out to open it. However, inside were only a few cabbages and white radishes. She picked them up and weighed them in her hands, discovering that they were even real. As someone who knew how to cook, she could tell they had quite a bit of heft to them.
"Looks like this isn't it..."
Ayaka sighed.
Click...
After closing the chest again, they were just about to leave when they heard a faint sound from somewhere nearby.
"..." ×2
The two exchanged a glance and silently understood one another. They slowly moved closer, concealing themselves behind the bushes as they secretly looked over, only to discover two young men.
She remembered the boy with animal ears... He seemed to be one of Kokomi's generals. If she recalled correctly, his name was Gorou. As for the other young man, she remembered him even more clearly.
"Kaedehara...?"
Ayaka recognized him and murmured softly.
The Kaedehara Clan and Kamisato Clan had once shared a superior-subordinate relationship, so naturally she knew who he was.
"He came too..."
The Shogun spoke with a somewhat complicated tone.
"...? Shogun-sama, is there something between you and Kaedehara...?"
Hearing something suggestive of a story in the Shogun's tone, Ayaka asked curiously.
"...We have some history. During the Vision Hunt Decree, he charged all the way to the gates of Tenshukaku alongside the resistance forces and interfered with me. He also blocked one of my strikes on behalf of that Traveler."
She recalled the incident.
"...Blocked... one of your strikes?"
Ayaka froze.
"More or less, though only for an instant. I could tell that was already the limit of his strength. Afterward, I injured him with the backlash, and I heard nothing more of him after that."
"...I see. No wonder there was such a rumor among the people afterward."
Ayaka understood now.
"A rumor? What rumor?"
She asked curiously.
"After that incident, an exaggerated rumor spread among the people. They said, 'There was a young man named Kaedehara Kazuha who forcefully blocked your Musou no Hitotachi and came away completely unharmed.'"
Ayaka explained.
But the Shogun's first reaction upon hearing this was helpless disbelief. People actually believed such an unverified rumor? So this was the power of public opinion.
"How could that possibly be true? Besides, that strike wasn't even a Musou no Hitotachi. They were overthinking it."
She rolled her eyes, feeling rather speechless. How had the story become so absurd by the time it spread? Was this simply what happened when every person retold it differently?
"Let's go... Forget about them. Finding the Dango Milk is more important."
After looking at the two young men across from them, she exhaled and turned to make the suggestion to Ayaka.
"Mm..."
Ayaka obediently followed her away. As they left, the bushes may have shifted slightly.
"...?"
Kaedehara Kazuha keenly sensed something and instinctively turned to look, only to find that no one was there anymore.
"Kazuha? What's wrong?"
Gorou looked at his old friend.
"Someone was watching us just now."
Kazuha spoke in a low voice.
"Huh? Really? Don't scare me... Haa, so this whole forest really is full of ambushes? I knew that fox woman was up to no good~!"
Gorou's face went pale, and he immediately became vigilant. His mind was instantly flooded with several useful strategies Lady Sangonomiya had once taught him, and he even began mentally reciting the strategy notes he had memorized before.
"No. I don't think they had any intentions toward us. They merely looked over for a moment. But..."
It bothered him greatly...
The young man rested a hand against his chin, his eyes turning serious. He could sense that the aura he had felt was not that of an ordinary person.
—
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